Costs are paid through funding from income taxes though three provinces also added a fixed monthly premium which may be waived or reduced for those on low incomes. There are no deductibles on basic health care and co-pays are extremely low or not even there, though supplemental insurance such as Fair Pharmacare may have deductibles, depending on income.
Canada's healthcare system is funded by both the federal government, and by the provincial and territorial governments. The main source of revenue is taxation, personal and corporate income taxes (in some provinces, sales tax is also used). Some provinces also charge a yearly healthcare premium based on annual income. In Ontario, for example, an individual with taxable income of $40,500 in US would pay a premium of $480 in US in the 2005 tax year.
Canada’s lower prescription drug prices are the result of a lower standard of living than the United States, not because of Canadian drug price regulation. Between both countries, people spend about the same amount on prescription drugs.
Health care in Canada is delivered through a publicly-funded health care system, which is mostly free at the point of use and has most services provided by private entities. It is guided by the provisions of the Canada Health Act. The government assures the quality of care through federal standards. The government does not participate in day-to-day care or collect any information about an individual's health, which remains confidential between a person and their physician.
Health insurance is primarily provided by the private sector, with the exception of programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Veterans Health Administration. At least 15% of the population is completely uninsured, and an important additional portion of the population is "underinsured", or less than fully insured for medical costs they might occur. Even though not all citizens are covered, the United States has the third highest public healthcare payment per capita.
The US pays twice as much yet is still behind other wealthy nations in such measures as infant mortality and life expectancy. Currently the U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate than most of the world's industrialized nations. The USA's life expectancy is 42nd in the world, after most rich nations, last of Japan, France, Germany, UK, USA and just after Chile (35th) and Cuba (37th). The USA's life expectancy is ranked 50th in the world after the European Union (40th). The World Health Organization, in 2000, ranked the U.S. health care system as the highest in cost, first in responsiveness, 37th in overall performance, and 72nd by overall level of health. A 2008 report by the Commonwealth Fund ranked the United States last in the quality of health care among the 19 compared countries.
There are 9 nurses per 1000 people in Canada. There are 10.6 nurses per 1000 people in the US. There are 2.2 physicians per 1000 people in Canada. There are 2.4 physicians per 1000 people in the US. One complaint about both the U.S. and Canadian health care systems is waiting times, whether for a specialist, major elective surgery, such as hip replacement, or specialized treatments. In the United States, access to health care is primarily determined by whether a person has access to funding to pay for treatment and by the availability of services in the area.
1961. "Health care in Canada - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.
"File:Health care cost rise.PNG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.
"File:Spending on health care per capita by age group.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.
"Health care in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.
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